Speedometer.



B. SCHNEIDER.

SPEBDOHBTEB.

uruonron nun 1120.10, 1012.

1,064,935, Patented June 17, 1913.

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Inventor:

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E. SCHNEIDER.

SPEEDOMETER.

urmoumn mum DBO.10, 1912.

1,064,935, Patented June 17, 1913.

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CV t Attorney.

ERNEST. SCHNEIDER, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

SPEEDQll/TE'LER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 10, 1912. Serial No. 735,986.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST SCHNEIDER, asubject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at 8 Staglgasse,Vienna, XV, in the Empire of Austria-Hungary, have in vented a certainnew and useful Impr0ve ment in. Speed-ometers, of which the following isa specification.

In the known Haushalte'rs speedometers, the index is adjusted by afallin weight in such manner that the falling weight, which isconstantly and uniformly rotated by clockwork, is lifted by the shaftdriven by the vehicle for a period of time determined by the clockworkand the index thereby dis placed, while after the release of the weightand its consequent fall the index is retained frictionally, or if theindex has stopped at a higher division in the preceding measuringperiod, it is shifted retractively by a worm connected with the fallingweight, to the extent of the difference of the travel of the weight inthe two measuring periods. This construction presents the defect that itdoes not admit of small measuring periods such asare now called for inthe present state of the art, particularly b railway authorities.

This defect is due to t e fact that the pitch of the Worm is dependentupon the measuring periods, to which it is inversely proportional, thatis to say the pitch of the worm must be greater in proportion as themeasuring period is smaller. As, however, the pitch can only beincreased to a certain limit for a given travel of the weight, only ameasuring period of 12 seconds is obtainable with this apparatus.

Now the present invention has for its ob ject to provide for shortermeasuring periods with such apparatus, amounting to as little as four oreven two seconds. This result is attained owing to the fact that whenthe speed falls, the index is not setback by means of a worm but by theindex, which ,is spring controlled and held in its end position by acatch, encountering the falling weight which is temporarily retained inits end position by a catch, this weight then falling after the indexhas again been returned.

An apparatus embodying the invention is illustrated by way ofexample inthe Cumipanying drawing, in which:

Figure 'i, hows the Z\P}' 3I'ilttl5 in front elevaiion with indexmechanism removed. Fig. is a similar iew showing the index mechanism,and Fig. 3 is a section on the line A-A in Fig. 2. Figs. 4, 5 and Baredetail views.

Upon the shaft 4 whichis continuously and uniformly driven by theclockwork 1' by the intermediarand 3, a cylindrical weight isdisplace'abi'y arranged. This weight is coupled with 'th'eshaft by meansof a grooveand' feather 6. The weight is toothed throughout its entirelength, but these teeth areinterrupted for a short distance on: theperiphery at one place or (as shown in the drawin at two dia metricallyopposite places (Fig. 4). A1 gear wheel 7 is temporarily coupledwiththese interrupted teeth. Upon the shaft 8 of this gear wheel a Wormwheel 9 is mounted and meshes with a worm 10 (Fig. on-ashaft- 11 whichis rotated by a part of the driving mechanism of the vehicle. On itsupper edge the weight comprises a flange 12 upon which a roller 13 (Fig.3) of a rack l t'rests.

This rack is guided in a slot 15- in a plate 16.

A toothed sector 17 of an index 19 which is formed as a two-armed leverand travels over a scale 18, engages the rack 14. A.

spiral spring 20 constantly tends to bring the index into the zeroposition and thereby to press the roller 13 on the flange of the weight5. A second rack 21 Fig. 2) is connected with the rack 14, a number ofpawls 22 engaging in this rack 21. These pawls form a two-armed leverthe free arm 23 of which is bent at right angles, its nose 24 (Figs. 3and 6.) under the influence of a spring 25 resting upon a disk 26mounted on the shaft 4 (Fig. 6) whereby the pawls are held in engagementwith the rack. This disk comprises two diametrically opposite recesses27 by means of which the pawls 22 are momentarily disengaged from therack 21. The toothed cylinder 5 is connected with a second toothedcylinder 28 which is arranged over it and together with the firstcylinder constitutes the falling weight. Theteeth of the cylinder 28'are also interrupted peripherally at two opposite places (Fig. 4). Theuntoothed portions of the two cylinders are slightly staggeredrelatively to each other so that in vertical projection eachaof theuntoothcd portions coincides with the tooth intervals the other cylinderto a certain extent (see Fig. *1).

A ratchet wheel 29 engages the teeth of the cylinder 28. This Wheel isrotatable in the direction indicated by the arrow (Fig.

Patented June 17, 19131 of the gear wheels 2' 1) butnot in the oppositedirection. In the example here illustrated this ratchet wheel isprevented from rotating in the one direction by one of the knownfriction clutches preferably of the following construction: Upon a fixeddisk 30 (Fig. 5) a toothed ring 29 is rotatably mounted and between itand the disk tw'o diametrically opposite wedgeshaped slots 31 areprovided. Balls or bolts the disk and thereby fix the ring. This toothedring or ratchet wheel 29 is mounted on an arm 34 rockable in thehorizontal plane. Upon the pivot 35 of this arm a spring 36 is coiledand holds the arm with t e ratchet wheel 29 applied to the toothedcylinder 28.

The ap aratus operates in the following manner: wing to the rotation ofthe fallin weight 5 produced by the clockwork igs. 1, 2 and 3) thisweight is brought into engagement at given intervals for a given periodof time with the gear wheel 7,

whereby the weight is raised to a certain height. As the travel of theweight is directly proportional to the ipeed of the driving shaft, theindex 19 isplaced by the 'wer'ght is shifted to the position upon thescale corresponding to the speed attained by the vehicle in themeasuring period and it is held in this position by the pawls 22engaging in the rack 21. Now when the connection between the gear wheel7 and the weight 5 has been disestablished, the ratchet wheel 29 isstill in engagement with the upper cylinder 28 and temporarily preventsthe weight from falling. Durin this period the nose 2 1 on the pawllever 23 enters one of therecesses 27 in the disk 26 and releases therack 21, so that in case the index -19 at the preceding adjustment hasbeen set at a higher division of the scale, itwill under the influenceof the spring 20 be moved until it encounters the flange of the weightwhich occupies its end position and thereafter be .able to spring backinto the position corre- 55" sponding to the speed for the time being,whereupon with the further rotation of the shaft 4, the nose 24 againleaves the recess 27 in the disk 26, and the pawls 22 reengage with therack 21. Now when the index is he] the ratchet wheel 29 reaches anuntoot ed portion ofathe. cylinder, 28, so that the weight is.free'andable to fall, where upon the operation recommences. If the speedat which the vehicle travels has become higher, the weight, and with itthe rack 21, will have been raised to an extent corresponding to theincrease of speed. If, on the other hand, the speed has diminished, theweight will have been raised to a smaller extentcorresponding to thediminution of speed and consequently the rack also will have fallen inproportion to this reduction.

of speed, and the index will indicate this alteration of speed. Finally,if the speed has remained the same, the index will retain its positionunaltered. It should alsobe noted that the displacement of the rack inthe upward direction is rendered possible owing to the fact that thepawls 22 are resilient, as shown in Fig. 3.

\Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is 1. A speedometer comprising driving means, weightedmeansformed with a" plurality of interrupted teeth on the peripherythereof, means for rotating said weighted means at a constant speed,means to establish an intermittent connection between said driving meansand'saidweighted means by the engagement of said connecting means withsaid interrupted peripheral teeth, to move said weighted means adetermined distance in accordance with the speed for the time being,indicating means controlled by the movement of said weighted means, and

' means comprising a ratchet wheel engaging with said interruptedperipheral teeth normally to retain said Weighted means in positionuntil the positioning of said indicating meansand to allow said weightedmeans to move in the opposite direction to re-occupy its initialposition.

2. A speedometer comprising driving means, weighted means, means torotate said weighted means continuously at a uniform speed, means toestablish an intermittent connection between said driving means and saidweighted means to move said weighted means into a position correspondingwith the speed for the time being, meansto lock saidv wighted means uponthe completion of such movement, indicating means controlled by saidweighted means, means to lock said indicating means upon the positioningthereof to indicate the speed for the time being, said means comprisinga rack in engagement with said indicating means, a wheel formed with aplurality of recesses, means to rotate said wheel at a speedcorresponding to that of said weighted means, and a pawl member havingone end engaging with means to establish an intermittent connectionbetween said weighted means and said driving means to move said weightedmeans adetermined distance in the axial direction, a spring-pressedindex controlled by said weighte means durin its aforesaid movement,means temporarily to release said index to place thesame under theaction of its spring upon the completion of said movement, to occupy aposition corresponding to the speed for the time being, and means toallow said weighted means upon such positioning of said index to move inthe opposite direction to re-occupy its initial position for the nextfollowing operation.

4. A speedometer comprising driving means the speed of which is to bemeasured, weighted means, means to rotate said weighted meanscontinuously at a constant speed, means to establish an intermittentconnection between said weighted means and said driving means to movesaid weighted means for a determined distance in an axial direction inaccordance with the magnitude of the speed for the time being,indicating means controlled by said Weighted means durin such axialmovement thereof, means to loc said weighted means in position at thecompletion of such axial movement,

means temporarily to release said indicating means, means upon suchrelease to move said indicating means to take up a determined osition toindicate the speed for the time eing as determined by the movement ofsaid weighted means, means to lock said speed indicating meanstemporarily in position-upon the positioning thereof to indicate thespeed for the time being, a releasing means for said weighted means toallow the latter to move axially in the opposite direc' tion tore-occupy its initial position.

5. A speedometer comprising driving means the speed of which is to bemeasured, a shaft, weighted means mounted on said shaft and rotatedthereby continuously at a uniform speed, means to establish anintermittent connection between said weighted means and said drivingmeans to move said weighted means along said shaft for a determineddistance according to the speed for the time being, a spring-pressedspeed indicator, means to connect said Weighted means with saidindicator to control the movement of said speed indicator, means to locksaid weighted means in position upon the completion of its movement,releasing means to cause said speed indicator and said connecting meanstherefor by the action of said spring to take up a position according tothe speed for the time being so that if the speed of the precedingoperation is greater than that for the time being, said speed indicatorand connecting means therefor can move under the action of the spring ofsaid speed indicator to take up a position corresponding with that ofthe weighted means, means to lock said speed indicator in such adjustedposition, and means to release said weighted means to allow same to moveaxially in the opposite direction to re-occupy its initial positionpreparatory to the next operation.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST SCHNEIDER.

Witnesses:

KARL REHAK, HERMAN WUNDERIJCH.

' Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C."

